IIHS Blog

IIHS™ are so excited to announce our annual Student Scholarships. The scholarships will grant one successful applicant a kick start in the home staging career like no other and a second applicant a chance to be mentored by IIHS™ Principal Naomi Findlay.

There are two separate scholarships available, a course education scholarshipand a mentoring scholarship

Will be given the opportunity to be part of the IIHS mentoring program for three month value $3000 and be a member of the IIHS™ Shine Professional Membership for a six month period valued at $300. Total Value $3300

See what previous winner Skye Mendl had to say…..

IMPORTANT DATES

Applications will open on March 1 2019.

Applications will close on April 20 2019.

Attendees to the National Home Staging Symposium will be eligible to apply. Get your event tickets here! Scholarship application forms will be sent out with the ticket confirmation email.

In part one of the HR compliance series I discussed employment contracts, the importance of having a written contract and clauses outside of the Fair Work Act that may be relevant for your business. Equally important is ensuring all staff understand their responsibilities and company processes by way of policies.

Think your business is too small to have documented policies? Ask yourself – how many times do your employees ask you if they can take time off? Even if you have only two employees, it could be in excess of six times a year! Or maybe they are late to work, who do they notify and how? Further what are the consequences?

Similar to employment contracts policies should be tailored for the industry in which they are applicable. For the Home Staging industry, you’d need details around company cars and what staff are liable for should they have an accident, also mandatory policies such as Bullying and Harassment, Grievance Procedures and Rehabilitation and Return to Work, just to name a few.

Your time is important, spend it on developing your business and exceeding client expectations, rather than making a fresh decision every time an employee asks a question or you are faced with a challenge. Key is setting the ground work early, getting compliance right and ensuing consistency across your team.

We all know the importance of cash in any business! It’s the lifeblood of what you do and without it, the doors close. Simple concept.

As business owners, you need to be thinking differently. In addition to the daily grind, you need to understand what’s happening behind the scenes. How is the business performing? Am I compliant with government and industry requirements? What do I need to do to push my business in the right direction? Why am I so exhausted and there’s no money in the bank?

A fundamental aspect of running any business is knowing the numbers. And I don’t mean knowing just what’s in the bank account! It goes beyond that. It’s understanding concepts like income, expenses, profit, assets, liabilities, equity, tax….the list goes on! To help you with this, it’s important that one of the first things on your business ‘to-do list’ is get some accounting software, and one of the best business accounting packages on the market is Xero.

We live in an age where technology is constantly changing. What we use today is out of date tomorrow. Gone are the days where a cashbook and receipts were used to track the finances of a business. We need real-time data to make real-time decisions. Without that you may miss an exciting opportunity. Xero is an amazing cloud based bookkeeping tool which gives you everything you need to know about managing your finances and understanding how your business is truly performing. As business owners, the key to making the most of your software is understanding it’s capabilities and working with your accountant to better educate yourselves on financial reports. I look forward to presenting on this topic at the 2018 National Home Staging Symposium – see you there!

Greg Logue is a Senior Accountant at DFK Crosbie and an advisor to business owners across a range of unique industries. Focusing on business growth and peace of mind for his client’s, Greg has over 10 years’ experience in providing solutions to everyday business problems. Whether it be getting a business off the ground, taking it to the next level or working towards a long-term goal, Greg tailors his approach to suit your needs. Using reliable financial data, Greg and his team can provide strategic advice to drive your business in the right direction.

How often have you pushed through and ignored the calling, just kept going because it wasn’t the right time to shut down, to switch off, to disconnect?

You silence that inner voice that says it is time, and you continue to hustle, push, strive – because that’s what everyone else is doing and you fear what would happen if you stopped. It’s not a risk that you’re prepared to take – you’ve worked too hard to get where you have just to see it collapse because you’re tired!

Right?

You tell yourself that you will stop when you are on holidays, after you’ve take months to plan everything meticulously, working overtime for weeks, so that your time away won’t impact on the day to day running of your business.

The truth is to ignore this inner calling to pause, is so much more damaging to you and your business than briefly stepping away from it. Of course, we like to convince ourselves otherwise, and that is why there are so many burnt out women in business, who are ready to walk away from their business, feeling like they have been sold a big white elephant. That whole ‘work for yourself and reclaim your freedom’ concept feels like one big fat lie, because you now feel more trapped than you ever did before – a slave to your own business.

Many moons ago, as an up-and-comer in the corporate world, I would listen to this calling to step away. I was wiser than I realised back then, because I innately knew that once every couple of months it was imperative to my own wellbeing and to my success in business that I step away from my work. It became a guilt free practice of mine, when I felt the calling to switch off, that I would listen and gift myself a ‘mental health day’. That is what I called them back then, because I thought it was all about maintaining the integrity of my mental health. These days, with a deeper wisdom of myself and the depth and needs of my energetic being, I regard these days as imperative reset / reboot / recalibration days.

I choose to claim these days and retreat when I feel the calling, rather than being forced to stop with illness. Sure, when we are unwell we will finally stop, but the energy body is working so hard to just heal the physical body that it doesn’t utilise this time of rest to grow and expand and reinvigorate itself with a renewed passion for life and business.

To function optimally the energy body must be nourished and tended to in the way that it needs. The energetic body is very similar to a computer and if it is pushed to its limits, with too many tabs open and not enough time to reboot and restart, it will start to slow down and eventually shut down, inhibiting clarity, confidence, creativity and calm.

To be clear, confident, creative and calm are paramount to the success of your business. A depleted energetic body, also known as a starved soul, cannot thrive and as you are at the core of your business, if you do not nourish yourself and fill your soul, then you will not thrive and your business will suffer.

Do you wonder why your business becomes stagnant?

Why despite the long hours and the hard work, you cannot get the clarity you need to pull off the new strategy?

Why you lack the confidence to pitch to new clients?

Why your creativity feels stilted and lacklustre?

Why you are in a constant state of stress and anxiety?

What was once exciting, inspiring and fulfilling now feels like a constant struggle and you begin to wonder why you are bothering to work so hard, for seemingly so little return?

And then a strange thing happens, you walk away from your business, you take a holiday and you come back feeling refreshed and excited about new ideas and opportunities. You jump in with vigour and enthusiasm and you start to see results flowing in – new clients, great testimonials, more referrals. You are feeling the groove of your business, and you believe in the vision that you once had, you go into meetings clear on your objectives and confident in reaching your outcome. You are astounded that it is all flowing, that all the pieces are falling into place – this is how it is meant to be.

And then, you fall back into old habits. Burning the candle at both ends, convincing yourself that you don’t have time for the gym or that yoga class, or that walk with a friend – and before you know it your self-care goes out the window AGAIN, and as you begin to jam up because you are not tending to your needs, you notice that your business starts to jam up again. The flow stops, so you work harder to get things done, convincing yourself that if you don’t make things happen nothing will get done – you force your business to be what you need her to be.

It is now, that you will hear that calling – the calling of your inner wisdom to switch off and switch in. Before it all starts crumbling once again, it is the time to switch off and give your business some space to breath – and give yourself space to reboot and restart.

When you give yourself this space and sit in solitude you can connect to your inner wisdom. This is a practice that has been done by women since the beginning of time, the purpose of which is to ask questions and for the soul self to provide advice.

Many people run from this practice because they are convinced that they do not know how to connect to this aspect of themselves. That they cannot silence their mind, that the whole mindfulness and meditation thing just doesn’t work for them. The truth is there are many ways to connect – meditation, writing, painting, gardening, running, drumming, singing, prayer, yoga…..the list goes on, yet intentional solitude is most easily achieved simply by tuning out to distractions.

And as women we are good at this – we innately do this when we tune out from the noise of a house full of needy children, from a screaming baby in the middle of the night, from a self-indulgent friend who bores you with tedious details of her daily life. We know how to tune out and go within to seek refuge from a world that is overwhelming. The knowing how is not the challenge, it is remembering to do it, especially in a world that that feels that such time spent being in solitude is time wasted.

There is power in the solitude, and for so long in women’s tradition, the cycles of moon and menses were the natural cycles for women to go within to inquire into the state of one’s being – seeking to understand what is needed of the soul / the self to bring the whole being back into a balanced state. The assessment used to ascertain where the self is at, is simple and achieved by asking two questions:

What needs more and what needs less?

The question is being asked of the innate instinctual self, not the logic rational mind. The answer comes from a knowing, not a thinking. A knowing of what within the self / business needs adjustment, loosening or emphasizing; what is on course and what needs to be brought back into alignment. What needs love, moving, changing, disposing? Who or what are you holding that needs to be let go?

It is a constant refinement of the energy of you and your business. A beautiful balancing act to keep the magnetic attraction between your business and the vision you have for it, in alignment.

What raises the vibe of your business? What lowers the vibe of your business?

What needs less? What needs more?

Who needs to stay? Who needs to go?

Those who work in your business, and on your business, contribute to its energy. And assessing the energy that each person – you, partner, investor, employee, associate, contractor, client – brings into your business is essential to its overall vitality.

Ask questions of all aspects of your business – your book keeping; your website; your contracts; your storage facility; your business name; your office; your social media; your filing system; your inventory. The time spent in solitude seeking guidance from within about all aspects of your business and constantly refining yourself and your business so it remains in alignment with the bigger vision, is pivotal to your success.

Remember….Stay In Your Own Lane.

Ignore what is going on around you, what others are doing, what others want you to be a part of, what others are saying about you…. that is none of your business!

Your business is your business, so focus there and there alone!

Listen to your inner calling to retreat and become accustomed to looking within for how to build your unique business instead of looking outside of yourself, listening to ALL the shoulds and trying to replicate other people’s businesses. To go within is a recipe for long-term business success. To look outside is a recipe for inauthenticity, inadequacy, stress and burnout.

Are you ready to honour your inner calling and build the success of your unique business?

There comes a time when your business will get to capacity and 24hrs in the day is not enough! This is when some decisions must be made. These decisions usually revolve around:

Staffing – do I need to hire someone?

Financing operations – can I borrow money and how do I use it?

Internal systems – what can we do more efficiently?

All three of the above have one thing in common – they come at a cost!

Most small to medium sized businesses will experience some cashflow pressure throughout their business lifecycle. During these times, how do you get ahead? How do you keep the ball rolling? Ultimately, financing the business will come from debt or equity, but is it a good idea to take on this financial risk and is your business:

Able to access finance; and

Capable of handling growth opportunities

All too often business owners look to get finance but are not in a position to do so. Whether restricted by limited trading history, poor financial performance or existing finance being at a maximum, you need to be aware of your eligibility and how you plan for expansion! If you’re unable to access finance, what are the steps you need to take to ready your business for finance. In other words, what is Plan B and how do we implement this strategy effectively?

I look forward to presenting on this topic and other key cashflow considerations for home staging businesses as part of the DFK Crosbie presentation at this year’s National Home Staging Symposium.

Greg Logue is a Senior Accountant at DFK Crosbie and an advisor to business owners across a range of unique industries. Focusing on business growth and peace of mind for his client’s, Greg has over 10 years’ experience in providing solutions to everyday business problems. Whether it be getting a business off the ground, taking it to the next level or working towards a long-term goal, Greg tailors his approach to suit your needs. Using reliable financial data, Greg and his team can provide strategic advice to drive your business in the right direction.

The demands of the current regulatory environment make it tough for businesses to stay current and compliant. Key is setting the ground work early, getting compliance right, starting with employment contracts and workplace policies.

In this two-part blog series, I will explore HR compliance documentation, with the first part focussing on employment contracts and part two focussing on policies and procedures.

Employment contracts can be in writing, oral or inferred from the conduct of parties. Essentially what this means is that even though terms aren’t formally noted a relationship still exists. It exists in the form of relevant employment legislation, that is, the Fair Work Act, the National Employment Standards and if relevant Modern Awards. It does not necessarily safeguard your business from other risks, that are more closely aligned with contractual law.

Other risks that are not covered by employment law but that are considerations for the industry are in relation to Restraint of Trade and Licences.

Restraint of Trade clauses form part of post-employment obligations and can vary from sector to sector. This clause seeks to restrict a former employee from interfering with any relationship you have with your clients, suppliers and other employees or from seeking employment or starting a business which would be in competition with your business. When developing this clause consideration should be given to geographical areas and the length of time the restraint should be in effect. This clause is also important when hiring to ensure your new recruit is free from restraints to perform the role you’ve hired them for.

As a key component of the role involves driving to see clients and potentially a warehouse, you want to ensure your workers have a current drivers licence. Having a clause in the employment contract that covers what could happen if a worker was to lose their licence is key to ensuring you have staff that are able to fulfil the inherent requirements of the role.

Probation periods, Intellectual property and Surveillance (including CCTV and computer) are also important considerations when developing employment contracts.

You’ve worked hard to build your business so it’s best to manage the risks from the start!

When you are preparing to your put property on the market, chances are you want the best price possible. Often times, this means hiring a stager to give you the best chance at getting the highest return. If your budget is tight and you have furniture space, the best option in home staging is to have your property partially staged. This means that when a home stager comes into your property to have a consultation and quote your property, they will inform you of what furniture can stay and what furniture can go. However, if you want to best use home stagers to your fullest advantage there are a few things you should do before having the consultation.

De-clutter

De-cluttering your property is a must before it goes on sale and before you have a consultation with a home stager. Remove the stacks of DVD’s, CD’s, bookshelves stacked high with odds and ends, piles of things you have been meaning to clear out and anything that doesn’t have a spot. Not only will this help in the moving process but it will make your property seem a lot nicer and bigger instantly.

The reason for this is simple, you don’t want your valuables to be damaged in the sale process. If something is special to you but it does not go with the theme of the property, removing it prior to a home stager coming in is a good idea so someone else doesn’t have to tell you to remove it. Similarly, removing images is a must! Potential buyers don’t want to feel like they are walking through someone else’s property so family photos are unnecessary.

Remove toys

Even if you are living in the property during the sale process, limiting the amount of toys used to a small box that can easily be packed away in the car during open homes is a great idea. Toys are not necessary when displaying a home as a family home. Not only that but toys in the home during open houses make the property feel as if it is someone else’s and potential buyers cannot fully imagine themselves living in the space.

Keeping your yard in immaculate condition during the sale process is of utmost importance! Street appeal is the first thing that draws a buyer in so ensuring that the yard is looking amazing, with trimmed hedges, cut grass and clean footpaths is absolutely essential!

There is no point hiring a stager if you are going to shut down every idea they have. Home stagers are experts in design and the real estate market, which means they know what sells and what doesn’t. If you hire a stager but then rearrange everything as soon as they leave, then the whole process was a waste of your time and money. Chances are you are not an expert in the market, and the property design does not have to be to your personal taste, or even to the personal taste of the stager, it just has to be that of the market.

When you reach a certain point in your home staging business, acquiring stock and inventory is an essential step up. At first purchasing this stock might seem like a bit of a leap, and depending on what stock you purchase it might be. However, if you are smart about what stock you purchase and how much of it you purchase it could make all the difference to your home staging business.

When it comes to stock there is typically two types of stock, soft furnishings and hard furnishings. Soft furnishings include items such as pillows, linen, lamps and small accessories. The way I like to think about soft furnishings is that, if I needed to, I could pack them in a box and put them in my car. On the other hand, there are hard furnishings. Hard furnishings are big items such as lounges, arm chairs, dining tables, coffee tables, and so on. These are the items that can’t be packed into a box and loaded into your car.

Depending on what level of your business you are in you could be thinking about acquiring one of these two types of stock. Logically, soft furnishings should be acquired first, and then later down the track hard furnishings can be acquired. However, as everyone is at different stages in their business, it is important to be able to look down the track and consider what sort of stock you should be acquiring.

SOFT FURNISHINGS

When it comes to soft furnishings, these items can be purchased relatively cheaply and in bulk.

Pillows: sure, pillows can be expensive, but purchasing pillows that work well in a wide range of environment is a great way to get the most out of your money, and add texture in a range of environments. Purchasing pillows in a few colours and designs is a great idea as they can be used on their own or grouped together.

Faux flowers and plants: Faux flowers and plants are great as, when the right ones are purchased, they can look amazing, can be used in a range of spaces and styles, and can last a long time.

Books: there doesn’t have to be a theme to this, and they can be purchased from a op shop, but books are a great way to add texture and a lived in feeling to any space. These are the most cost-effective soft furnishings and can be used in any environment, from a study, a bedroom to a lounge room or even an outdoor setting.

Knick-knack accessories: by this I mean small accessories that can be used in a variety of environments, anything from vessels, small bowls, candle holders, or any other small accessories.

Linen packs: this isn’t absolutely necessary, but having at least coverlets and toppers is necessary as it can transform a room from something dull to something amazing.

As for hard furnishings, these items are more expensive, and it is beneficial to go for quality over quantity.

Mattresses: often times clients do not have enough beds for how a property can be staged to show off the best of the space, or they have moved and have taken their mattresses with them.

Dining chairs: not all dining chairs go with tables, or look good with them, so having some neutral dining chairs that work with a range of colours is a great idea so you can use the clients dining table and your businesses chairs.

Bedside tables: bedside tables have the potential to open up the bedroom and transform the space into something amazing. Having bedside tables that are unique, yet work well in a variety of environments is essential.

Lounges: when used everyday, lounges can easily begin to look old, worn and unpleasant. Having lounges in stock that are a neutral colour is a great idea as they can be used in a range of spaces in a range of different styled homes.

Coffee tables: Coffee tables are great ways to show off the space in a lounge room and add an element of homeliness into the space. Not everyone has a coffee table, and if they do it might be old and worn, having new, amazing coffee tables as part of your stock can transform and fill a space amazingly.

If you’re terrified to be in front of the camera, you’re not alone – statistics show that 75-percent of individuals suffer from speech anxiety. The fear of public speaking, also known by its medical term “glossophobia,” which can exhibit itself in many ways from avoiding conversations to feeling tongue-tied, maybe you’ll showcase a nervous tic, go weak at the knees or have performance anxiety.

The problem with having speech anxiety on video is that the camera will hone in on your weakest qualities, making it harder for the audience to connect with you and more importantly your message.

Envision someone talking low on camera, who is looking down at the ground and has their arms crossed over their chest, would you be able to relate to this person on camera? Would you listen to their story? Would you trust this person? Chances are no – so here are a few tricks to help become your best self when on video.

Get Over Yourself

Some of you may not like your skin or your voice or your waistline – so that becomes an excuse for many not to press record. But, rather than focus on yourself, focus on who you serve. If you provide valuable, interesting content that is useful to your audience then they’ll keep coming back for more regardless of what you look like.

Be Authentic

An audience can recognise immediately when someone is being fake on camera. They can be overacting or under preforming. Authenticity creates trust and establishes credibility. It all starts by observing yourself: What do you care about? Who are you? When do you feel most comfortable? In order to be influential and impactful it’s important to be present. Presence allows your passion and expertise for the topic to shine through. Become self-aware to recognise when you are faking it or feeling uncomfortable, this helps you understand why you are feeling that way, and then initiate steps to draw upon your authentic self.

Who Are You Talking To?

When creating videos it’s important to think about your audience to build relationship, intimacy and collaboration with them. Use their lingo. Figure out their ambitions and problems to help define the solution. This allows you to determine the content and direct the conversation to serve your audience. Think about all the people you can help, once your message is out, this helps many speak up.

Maybe starring into the black hole “camera lens” makes you tense up and freeze, rethink the situation – think of a person you love to talk to then place a picture of that person next to the camera and have a conversation.

Rethink Your Audience

Speaking with an audience is different to engaging in conversation. Audiences listen, and respond, differently. I’ll coach you to be relaxed in front of passive, blank faces. We’ll coach you to speak from an empowered stance; to assume your audience is supporting you.

Consistency = Confidence

It’s simple, do a new video every day, or at least several times a week until you feel comfortable talking to the camera. It may seem awkward sharing a story or tutorial on video with a bright light in your face and no one immediately responding to what you’re saying. So practice! The more videos you do (whether you share them or not) the more confident you’ll feel with the process.

Believe it or not, I used to be scared to speak on camera during live shots, when I was a TV News Reporter. I would fumble over my words, try to read my script word for word on my pad and would talk softly without animation for fear people around me would hear me. Overtime, my live shots on TV improved and even my live streams today benefit from these tricks.

Now, it’s time for you take action! Record a home staging tip on video (you can be on camera or not) and share it to my Facebook page here with the hashtag: #toridaredme for a chance to win a membership into The Video Visibility Course.

In my home, to be honest with you, I only allow real, living plants and flowers and tree and nature.

But, in home staging, it is a little different. The community is a little divided on it, whether to use faux or whether to use fresh.

There are obvious difficulties when it comes to using fresh flowers, especially if it’s a vacant property. I’ll give you a bit of an insight as to what we do here and you can take from that what you need for your business.

In all vacant properties, unless they’re in the prestige price bracket, we often use faux plants and faux flowers.

Purely for the reason that rarely does someone have the budget and is able to afford us continually going back to the property every week or every two weeks to refresh the flowers, to water the plants and make sure that everything’s in working order.

The reason that that is important is there is never a time when walking into a property to a dead plant or to smelling, molding flower water is okay.

It actually is a bigger distraction than having a faux plant or faux flowers in the property.

Obviously, there are some markets where that just doesn’t work. There are some markets, even when it’s a vacant property, that we invest in having real and authentic plants and real and authentic flowers in there.

We come up with a pricing system and a process that allows for us to go in and interchange the plants and interchange the flowers during the time on market.

If you have a property that is occupied, you can actually negotiate with the owner if they’re there and if they’re happy to, around the concept of them topping up the flowers and them taking care of the plants.

But again, this takes some negotiation and it takes a little bit of work.

What I will say, though, is if you choose to use faux plants or flowers, you really need to make sure you maintain them well.

There’s nothing worse than dirty, dusty, musty smelling fake arrangements, fake plants or fake flowers. It’s essential that when you’re storing these items, if you choose to use them, in your warehouse, that they’re always bagged up so they don’t become a dust collection.

What you can do if you do find that happening is actually use feather dusters on them or, even in some cases, I have vacuumed our plants.

Another great tip is that you actually have a roster and a process where all of the fake plants and all of the fake flowers get cleaned. This can make a massive difference to how long they last and how good they look.

My biggest advice if you need to use fake plants or flowers is to invest in really good quality plants and flowers.

It will cost you quite a substantial amount, but there are some amazing products on the market internationally for this. There’s amazing freestyle arrangements that you can make and there’s also some amazing premades. You even have some really cool things like premade terrariums and all sorts of things.

My big tip is choose the price point of the property. The client and the type of installation, whether it be an occupied or a partial, before we make the decision about whether you’re going to use real or whether you’re going to use faux foliage.

There’s my take, guys. One thing is for sure, either way, you need to make sure that the faux flowers and foliage that you use is perfectly targeted for the property, for your brand and also for who you are selling to.

Have you noticed the trend towards communicating on video? Maybe you’re already chatting with friends and family on Face Time, Facebook Messenger or Skype – but have you been using video to build a relationship with your potential clients?

Video is so important because it allows you to introduce your message in a compelling way that can entice the audience to take action. According to Think With Google, almost 50% of Internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store or business.

If you’re toying with the idea of utilizing video in your business – do it because video increases sales. However, it provides something deeper that comes as a direct result of staring into a glass lens for hours on end.

Video transforms the person and opportunities available to them. Here are five reasons to create a video marketing plan in your business.

Builds a Stronger Web Presence + Boost Engagement

The more places you can communicate and connect with your potential customers, the better chances you have of converting them into paying clients. We want to continue to spread your brand and message to help you stand out from your competition.

And a video does that, because videos are the most shared content on social media. Tubular Insights studied where do consumers engage with branded videos daily?

More than links, images, or plain text, video has the best chance of getting shared by your followers. We like to share content that will entertain our friends and move them, and video has a better chance of doing that.

Video Reveals Your Personality

Those of us who have been utilizing video for a while now, know video forces you to constantly develop your communication skills. By honing in on these skills you can reach audiences by being unique. Companies that live and breathe their brand are highly successful with their marketing. Simple videos that show who you are can be an effective way to put a face, and personality, to your business name.

Sell More with Less Effort

With video you can use the content over and over again to provide continuous communication that will build relationships across the web, all while showing your brand at it’s best.

Videos can educate clients on what you do, which primes your prospects before you meet them. Imagine eliminating cold calling. Video does that!
Clients can immediately connect with you and feel as if they know you, building that know, like and trust factor.

Video marketing can lead to significant financial payoff. By adding an informative video to your landing page, you can increase sales (as much as 80% according to some studies). The best part is this video will market your message even while you sleep!

Videos Generate Referrals + Opportunity

Videos grab our attention and can instantly make you look like an expert. At the end of each video you should provide a call to action, telling the viewer what to do next to connect with you – this creates an instant referral for you to follow up with by replying to a comment, asking a question, collecting their email address or returning a phone call.

“It’s inconsistency that builds distrust. ~Brendon Burchard”

By consistently creating these videos, you’re showing up, sharing valuable content and delivering on what you promise – putting your audience at ease to take the next step with you. This ultimately provides opportunity with not only potential customers, but with businesses or vendors who may want to collaborate with you on video.

Increase Profitability to Make You More Money

Your videos should always be marketing your brand to increase profitability and generate more leads. Don’t just do a video to do a video there should be a purpose behind the message to generate more referrals and opportunities.

Thanks to modern technology, producing effective videos no longer requires a ton of money. You can make decent videos with your smartphone, a little bit of planning and being consistent. This helps allow video marketing to provide an excellent return on your investment. These days, customers don’t expect polished, high-end production quality from online videos, they prefer simple, humanising clips that share your message.

Tori Toth is an award winning home stager, best-selling author and lifestyle expert who leverages her TV Reporter experience to share visual stories through video. As the creator of the online on-demand video courses: Video Visibility and The Stage to Sell Strategy, Tori navigates the proper steps to build visibility from brands to homes. She has appeared in global media with her books, videos, newsletters, products and appearances that now inspire hundreds of thousands of homeowners and real estate experts worldwide. Learn more at www.toritoth.com.

As a home stager, creating and maintaining a strong relationship with real estate agents is an essential part of generating referred business.

When you have a strong relationship with a real estate agent you will constantly have business flowing and you will always have a direct line of call when something goes wrong if a property.

Selecting the right real estate agent for your business can be difficult though. You may have a great relationship with one agent in the beginning but as your business grows that agent may not fit with your business anymore.

Image via silkhome.com.au

When choosing a real estate agent to maintain a strong relationship with, always look for someone who is:

An established real estate agent. Agents who are not new to selling properties are more likely to develop a relationship with a home stager as they are always looking to expand their connections

You want to be able to trust your real estate! As a home stager you want to know if the agent has any relationships with other home stagers and if they are referring their clients to you or to other home stagers

A people person. A real estate agent won’t get very far if they aren’t a people person. They must be approachable, friendly and great at negotiating

As a home stager it makes sense that you would want to have strong relationships with multiple real estate agents but a real estate agent doesn’t need a relationship with more than one home stager.

At the same level as you. There is no point forming a relationship with a real estate agent whose clients would not be able to afford your service. Make sure your agent has the same client demographic as you do to ensure maximum results

Once you have established a relationship with a real estate agent it is important to maintain that relationship. This can be achieved through a variety of ways such as:

Referring business. If a client gets their property staged but they aren’t sure what agent to go with yet, encourage them to go with the agent you are affiliated with

Buying ‘Thank You’ gifts. If your affiliate has a big win, sells a great property or smashes a record, giving them a small gift is a great way to maintain a relationship and show the agent that you are about their successes

Providing statistics. At a milestone during the year, be it yearly, half-yearly or quarterly, providing your affiliate with statistics about how your business is benefiting real estate is a great idea and a push to ensure that the agent will want to keep working with you

Having a strong relationship with a real estate agent is a great way ensure that you are constantly getting business and referring business. Having grounded relationships and affiliations with real estate agents is the best relationship that a home stager can have as it means that you are the first point of call to help that agent with a property.